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Email letters, May 7, 2012

Did the writer of the May 5 editorial pay any attention to world news that, admittedly, takes place outside of Happy Valley? Where exactly did Secretary of State Clinton, and by extension, the administration and President Obama go wrong in handling the Chen Guangcheng confusing affair in Beijing? Or is the editorial merely a gratuitous swipe at Clinton, Obama, et al? Candidate Romney and others are claiming that Chen’s situation calls for action on our part and and stern lectures to the Chinese

Chen is persona non grata in China for things we think are admirable, at least some so think. He showed up at our embassy. According to our ambassador, Gary Locke, at no time did Chen seek asylum. In fact, Chen said he’d prefer to stay in China. Nevertheless, he said he’d like to go to the United States because he didn’t think he could stay in China because of his status with the Chinese authorities. A deal was worked out with China whereby his and his family’s safety would be assured if he stayed. Then reports that his wife’s life was threatened caused him to once again say he’d like to get some sort of fellowship in the United States. At the moment that seems to be in the cards.

Our relations with China at this point seem to be on edge. Secretary Clinton is in Beijing on a diplomatic mission to work out better relations with China, not pick a fight over Chen’s situation, which seems to be confusing to everyone, not the least of which is Chen himself. To consider Chen’s situation as an international incident of the first order is ludicrous. To make any demands of China at this time of diplomatic edginess is so shortsighted it boggles the mind.

Why The Daily Sentinel would print such a partisan cheap shot also boggles the mind.

JOHN BORGEN
Grand Junction

Karis Board still looking for donations

On behalf of the Karis Board of Directors and homeless teens in our community, thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to establish The House. My particular thanks to The Daily Sentinel for their coverage of our efforts.

Because of the generosity of individuals, churches, businesses and civic groups, homeless teens now have a safe place and the resources necessary to move towards a secure future.

As Karis moves forward with this project, we are depending on the community’s continued generosity. As stated in the Sentinel, we have raised over $150,000. However, these funds will only provide half of the funding we need for years one and two. Not the 100 percent as stated in the editorial. We are very conservative in our spending as thrift and value is important to us.

This evidenced by the annual budget of around 150,000 inclusive of labor and housing. However, we indeed trust the rest will be provided, again, by grace that comes to us from this community’s generosity.

DARIN CAREI
Karis Board Chair
Grand Junction
Where was the coverage of the conservative event at Lincoln Park?

Thank you to The Daily Sentinel for another glaring example of media bias. On May 1, dozens of left-wing Occupy protesters rated a photo and sizable article.

What happens when 20 times their number of conservatives gathered on May 4 in Lincoln Park, with nationally recognized Speakers Niger Innes and Victoria Jackson?

No article. No picture. No coverage.

Is this a harbinger of the upcoming election coverage? Is this the idea of balanced coverage the Sentinel will bring to us?

Jay Seaton should be ashamed.

KEVIN MCCARNEY
Clifton
Let’s all stop being so sensitive

I am fed up with our country becoming politically correct to a fault and sexually harassment whiners. It’s gotten to the point that you can’t even tell someone they are nice looking without it being against the law. It’s a compliment, not a crime.

What happened to freedom of speech where I can say, “Look at the body on that guy/girl” and it was not seen as evil. Remember if you cant say anything nice don’t say anything at all. Well, now I guess that’s out too. And people are so worried about offending people by calling them Chinese, Black, white, Mexican or anything else its crazy. Don’t be a baby if you are white, you’er white not caucasian American, if you’re black, you’re black, not african american. If you’re Mexican, you’re Mexican, not Mexican-American and so on. Why do we have to put American behind every race? We know you live in America, so your an American.

We as people describe things with words of color, size, shape, smell, texture, taste, sound and feeling. Why is it wrong to do the same with people (it’s not). Everyone has become hypersensitive. It’s not a crime for a kindergardener to kiss another kindergardener — it’s natural. I think everyone shouldn’t look for a reason to take offense.

Look for the good and stop whining about every little thing. Accept who and what you are and don’t be offended if someone else calls you it. Fat, skinny, tall, short, white, black, Mexican, bald, hairy, pretty, ugly, loud, quiet, nice, mean, smelly, smart, dumb, jock or nerd and many more. How can we teach our kids tolerance if we never tolerate anything without calling the cops.

KIMBER DANNHEIM
Paonia

Why was there no coverage of the tea party rally?

It think it’s time to start judging The Daily Sentinel not by what it reports, but by what it fails to report. It’s truly astonishing, unfathomable even, how a once reliable news source could completely ignore a significant community event featuring state and national speakers, save for one snippit in the InBrief column which is not news coverage, but an announcement.

The Western Slope Conservative Alliance held a kick-off Tea Party Rally recently that was attended by around 500 conservatives, Republicans, Libertarian, and a few Democrats at Lincoln Park. You would have to poke your eyes out with knitting needles or bury your head in the sand to miss this gathering at the park. Television crews were present. Bloggers were present. The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel was not present. (Or if they were present they were sitting way in the back, scooping out holes into which to insert their heads).

Victoria Jackson, actress, comedienne, star of Saturday Night Live for six seasons, and Tea Party activist, was one headliner. The other was Niger Innis of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and son of Roy Innis who headed CORE during the civil rights years. Our state speakers were Jeff Crank of Americans for Prosperity of Colorado and Sunny Roseman, and local favorites Jamie Hamilton and Rick Wagner.

I saw the coverage of Occupy May Day in the Sentinel. The Occupy event attracted a fraction of the number that attended the Tea Party rally. They had no national speakers of the caliber of Niger Innis and Victoria Jackson.

The Tea Party rally was a positive educational event, and a call to action for the people who love America and want to return it to its foundational principles of individual liberty, property rights and the proper role of government. One can only conclude that the staff at the Sentinel is uncomfortable with what they see at Tea Party rallies, and like ostriches, or little children who cover their eyes and hope they thing they don’t want to see will go away, they ignore the most transformative revolution in America since the Civil Rights movement.

There is something dreadfully wrong at The Daily Sentinel. They are no longer a news organization. They are a filter which blocks or ignores those things that don’t fit their template, or disprove their notions about politics and the world, and which lets through those things that make them feel happy and comfortable. We no longer have a free-press newspaper in Grand Junction. They’re shackled in the chains of their own self-imposed ignorance.

MARJORIE HAUN
Grand Junction

Student should not have been suspended for singing song

In my opinion, the school administrators who suspended the 6 year old for singing an “inappropriate” song in school really missed the chance to redirect the child and turn what has become a big deal into a pleasant experience for all involved.

I admit that we probably haven’t been told the entire story, but since we continually tell our children how important it is to stay in school, suspension of a 6 year old for singing seems extreme. Maybe he should have been asked to practice a song at home that his classmates would enjoy and share it during music class. He would then be in school where he was supposed to be and it would have sent an entirely different message to the rock star.

I hope Ellen invites him to sing on her show. She strives to encourage young people to dream big where the teacher, principle and school administrators failed him miserably. I’m not sure if I should laugh or cry, I only know that it’s just wrong!

In regards to HB1280 and the VLT entertainment complex. The bill as it stand is simple and one that every person in this community, especially within the conservative movement, should be advocating for, bring the vote to the local level. Denver has killed us with regulations on oil and gas, coal, farming, water issues and we are left with what should be a wonderful place to raise our families but no jobs to provide for ourselves or our children.

Sure, we have wonderful resources here, but we are restrained from being able to utilize them. We need jobs and we need to be given the chance to decide for ourselves. Of course, those that would invest their capital in our community would make a profit, that’s capitalism and it’s what made us the greatest country on earth. With that, they invest their money, create jobs, pay wages and hopefully make profits for themselves.

If this is solely a moral issue, should we not volunteer as a community to not take any more lottery proceeds for our college, parks and trails? Let us all have the opportunity to educate ourselves on the facts of what is proposed before writing it off as something it is not and let Mesa County decide in this decade what it does or does not want not the special interests or Denver politicians.

JENNIFER BAILEY
Grand Junction

Kathy Jordan knew the importance of history

Gosh, I’m going to miss Kathy Jordan. I met Kathy late, just a few years ago although we had both grown up in what was small town Grand Junction — the proverbial ships passing in the night thing.

I bought her book “Heart of the City” before meeting her. But when we met, I liked her immediately. I think we shared a common trait that we never suffered from boredom. There’s always something to do. And I learned to admire her conscience and her ability to listen to it. I do hope her Sentinel family and Teddy can some day put a book together of her columns and her notes. I would certainly buy it.

After attending her funeral and listening to all the people tell their stories of knowing her, it occurred to me that even her life would be a good book. What if all those people wrote down their memories of her and gave them to her family as a memoir? I would like to read that as well.

Young people often scoff at history. I did — well, I didn’t exactly scoff, but I did fail to be interested. But we soon learn as we get older, history is us. It is every day of our life from our first memory along with what our families tell us. And it’s hard to be interested when so much is before us — all that growing up stuff.

Reading your own family’s life is as nteresting as reading famous people’s lives. After all, when you read the history of a celebrity is it really so different —t hat time before celebrity?
Yes, I’ll miss Kathy Jordan, even if U don’t have any “Kathy” stories to tell.